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WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO?
Yesterday, I had the honor of attending the Oakglen Wealth Gallery Exhibition featuring works by Jason Butler. There, I bumped into Jo Buchanan, Founder of TwitTwooYou, a strategic marketing consultancy centered around business growth—your business growth.
Jo asked what I was up to. I replied that I wasn’t really sure. I’m doing some charity work, some coaching, helping with various projects, and a bit of all sorts. Sometimes, I find it difficult to classify and categorize what I do. I almost envy people who can simply say they’re an accountant, with clear transparency about their role, making it easy to steer conversations in one direction or another. I’m just curious about all sorts of everything, and I find it difficult to classify and categorize my own thinking, which must be confusing for others.
Jo pushed me further, asking how other people would describe me. I said I’m not really sure; it depends on who you ask and the context. I’m not sure how much I want to know how others describe me, perhaps because I don’t want to be classified or categorized. Maybe I just want to avoid their judgment, or my own accountability.
When pushed further, I reflected on an article I wrote after a coaching relationship. I don’t see myself as an expedition leader, blazing a trail through the jungle, giving people direction and making announcements. Rather, I see myself as more humble, walking beside or behind, certainly carrying the load and offering observations, trying to be as helpful as possible while being deferential insofar as my role is to help others rather than myself.
I recently presented at Disrupt HR Conference, where the discussion was about being not the leader or hero of your own life but rather the best supporting actor in someone else’s life. I think there’s something really valuable in that. We instinctively take that approach with our children but not necessarily with others. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to those working in the voluntary or charitable sector, to change makers rather than change leaders—people who are the artisans, both physical and intellectual, who actually produce something and get things done.
During a leadership session at a corporate retreat, we, the senior management team, were told we’re all leaders. I remember pushing back on that, saying I’m not a leader; I’m a road builder. My CEO is a leader, and many of my colleagues are leaders, but I am here to lay the path and deliver your vision, which is yours, not mine. I’m just here to help you achieve that.
I’m not sure how you brand that in a world where everyone is supposed to be amazing, famous, successful—a leadership go-getter. Even our technology and business enterprise awards are all geared towards successful business growth, being at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the apex predator. There aren’t many awards for the people in the background, except perhaps for the Coach of the Year at sporting awards, which recognizes the efforts of those helping behind the scenes.
Nonetheless thank you to Jo Buchanan for what was a very thought-provoking conversation and indeed prompted this.
